Local counties to pitch in for ’26 NFL Draft preparations
Impact for 10-county area projected at more than $170M
Local county commissioners met with representatives of the Pittsburgh Steelers last week to find out how the counties can help with preparations for next year’s NFL Draft.
The 2026 draft, the 91st annual, will be held in Pittsburgh from April 23-25, 2026. It will be the first time the city has hosted the draft since 1948.
Greene County Board Chairman Jared Edgreen and Vice Chairwoman Betsy McClure represented the county at the Feb. 24 meeting, held at Acrisure Stadium.
“They realize that this is going to have to be a regional approach – that the city of Pittsburgh can’t handle this on their own, and nor can Allegheny County,” Edgreen said. “So they’re very intent on getting county buy-in and how we can better partner.”
At the meeting, the total draw to the 10-county region was estimated at 700,000 people. With only 8,000 hotel rooms in Pittsburgh, the biggest impact for Greene County could come in the hospitality industry, Edgreen said. That comes from both hotels and Airbnbs.
“More and more people are building and making space on our beautiful rural farms out here, places to stay that are nicely, remotely situated, where people can enjoy the countryside,” he said.
Reluctantly, Washington County Chairman Nick Sherman had to miss the meeting, which included tours of the Steelers’ locker rooms – “of all the times to have a conflict,” he said.
He’s already had multiple meetings with the NFL as well as Mel Blount, the Hall of Fame Steelers cornerback who is also a member of the Pittsburgh Host Committee, which is organizing the draft preparations. The county is working with the Mel Blount Organization, along with other nonprofits, to have events at the Hollywood Casino at the Meadows held concurrently with the draft.
All three Fayette County commissioners attended the meeting, which board Vice Chairman Vince Vicites said was productive.
“It was a good interaction,” he said. “All informational discussion.”
Vicities said there will be plenty of people staying in Fayette County, which would have further local benefits as they stop for gas or visit local establishments.
“It’s probably the biggest event there is in sports,” he said. “A Super Bowl wouldn’t even bring that many people in.”
Last year’s draft created $213.6 million of economic impact for Detroit and the surrounding area, according to a report commissioned by Visit Detroit and the Detroit Sports Commission.
Organizers in Pittsburgh estimated the number for 2026 at $171 million, $105 million of that being direct spending, Edgreen said.
Sherman has seen firsthand how the economic benefits can spread to outlying areas. When the Steelers played the Seahawks in Super Bowl XL, Sherman traveled to the game with friends, staying two counties away from Detroit.
“Everything was booked, every restaurant was completely packed,” he said. “You couldn’t get a hotel room anywhere. This is a massive opportunity for us to capitalize.”
Sherman’s expecting every hotel in Washington County to be filled to capacity during the draft.
Through the Local Share Account, the county also receives a cut of casino revenues.
“We’re going to make sure that we’re driving traffic to our casino … we’re also trying to make sure that we’re doubling down and helping our local nonprofits and fundraising as well,” he said.
Fayette County officials will be looking at their calendar for ways to tie events into the draft, Vicites said.
“Anything that we can think of, we will make sure we provide that information to them, and they’re going to provide additional information to us as well,” he said. “So we have an open communication there.”
Edgreen said Greene County could also have a role to play in transportation. Although the county does not have its own transit authority, Edgreen said the county may start talks with Mountain Line Busing, which already makes trips to the Pittsburgh airport. The county fairgrounds could serve as a parking lot for people getting a ride to the draft, he said.
Local fire, EMS and law enforcement departments could also be called on to help augment Pittsburgh’s resources, Edgreen said.
Greene County already figured into the Steelers’ slide presentation, Edgreen said. After the Steelers made the playoffs, they sent Terrible Towels to the county last fall and asked county commissioners to take a photo with them. The shot, which they saw again at the Feb. 24 meeting, also included Coalbie, the child therapy dog from child advocacy center Growing Up Greene.
As the NFL Draft organizers build out subcommittees on areas such as tourism, transportation and security, they will be reaching out to local counties for members, Edgreen said.
He’s especially interested in being able to highlight tourism opportunities in Greene County.
“As this progresses on, they’re going to be in contact with us, and they said there’s going to be a series of meetings with government officials to hash these things out,” Edgreen said.